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Why Your Sales Goal Might Be Leading You Toward Disaster [E205]
Episode 205 • 15th January 2026 • Business By The Numbers • Hunt Demarest
00:00:00 00:28:44

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Thanks to our partners Promotive and Wicked File

Are you setting sales goals that actually make you more money — or just more tired?

What if your biggest growth goal is quietly setting your shop up for failure?

In this episode, Hunt Demarest breaks down one of the most common (and dangerous) mistakes shop owners make when planning for growth: setting sales targets without understanding the real constraints behind them.

Building on the ideas introduced in Episode 200, Hunt walks through how to set profit-driven goals instead of vanity sales numbers — and how to pressure-test those goals against your people, pricing, productivity, and physical space before they turn into stress, burnout, or shrinking margins.

Using real shop examples and simple math, this episode shows how to reverse-engineer a sales target from profit, identify your true limiting factors, and decide whether growth should come from pricing, car count, ARO, staffing, or capacity — not guesswork.

What you’ll learn…

(00:01) Why every shop owner needs a growth goal — and why the wrong one can lead to disaster

(03:00) Setting sales goals vs profit goals

(05:10) How to work backward from profit into gross profit and sales

(06:35) Why sustained 30–50% growth is unrealistic for most auto repair shops

(08:25) The danger of planning future years before fixing today’s constraints

(10:40) Calculating sales targets for profit

(13:30) Why labor rate is often the biggest lever — not car count

(18:00) How to identify limiting factors in business growth

(19:55) Using ARO versus car count to find the least painful path to growth

(24:40) How to maximize profitability and resources

Thanks to our partner Promotive

It’s time to hire a superstar for your business; what a grind you have in front of you. Introducing Promotive, a full-service staffing solution for your shop. Promotive has over 40 years of recruiting and automotive experience. If you need qualified technicians and service advisors and want to offload the heavy lifting, visit https://gopromotive.com/

Thanks to our Partner WickedFile

Turn chaos into clarity with WickedFile, the AI for auto repair shops. Transform invoices into insights, protect cash flow, and stop losing parts, cores, or credits to maximize your bottom line. visit https://info.wickedfile.com/

Paar Melis and Associates – Accountants Specializing in Automotive Repair

Visit us Online: www.paarmelis.com

Email Hunt: podcast@paarmelis.com

Text Paar Melis @ 301-307-5413

Download a Copy of My Books Here:

  1. Wrenches to Write-Offs
  2. Your Perfect Shop

The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: Advancing the Aftermarket by Facilitating Wisdom Through Story Telling and Open Discussion

Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z with Matt Fanslow: From Diagnostics to Metallica and Mental Health, Matt Fanslow is Lifting the Hood on Life.

The Weekly Blitz with Chris Cotton: Weekly Inspiration with Business Coach Chris Cotton from AutoFix - Auto Shop Coaching.

Speak Up! Effective Communication with Craig O'Neill: Develop Interpersonal and Professional Communication Skills when Speaking to Audiences of Any Size.

Business by the Numbers with Hunt Demarest: Understand the Numbers of Your Business with CPA Hunt Demarest.

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Kim and Brian Walker: Marketing Experts Brian & Kim Walker Work with Shop Owners to Take it to the Next Level.

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